We were married at Now Sapphire on 6/23/12. We arrived on Thursday and our wedding was Saturday. We had 31 guests (29 adults and 2 children). We had our ceremony on Tequila Beach and cocktail hour/reception on Tequila Terrace. It was the best decision we made regarding the wedding. It was so wonderful that at the conclusion we were immediately struck with wedding bell blues. We would get married at Now Sapphire again and again and again. We are leaving in a week for a return trip to Now Sapphire to celebrate our 1-year anniversary. We plan to make it a yearly tradition complete with vow renewal.

 

I found so much helpful information from this discussion board that I wanted to share our experiences to help future couples. So, below is a lengthy (sorry!) account of our experience as a Now Sapphire bride and groom:

 

First, some context about us: I am from KY and he is from NYC. We live in KY now. When we started planning we set a budget of $10K and an expected attendance of 150. As we spoke to wedding planners in Louisville we found that my vision with our budget and 150 guests couldn’t happen. We started thinking that since more than half of the guests would be traveling from NY and other areas anyway, why not have a destination wedding?  As we researched we realized that we could set an even smaller budget and still have my vision because the distance would keep our guest list in check. As an added bonus, the wedding would be smaller, simpler, and less stressful, which we preferred anyway.

 

We researched weddings in Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Curacao and Mexico at numerous different resorts. Now Sapphire was the resort we ultimately settled on because it was affordable for our guests; flights to Cancun were plentiful and affordable, it allowed children, it allowed Jewish weddings, and had great group incentives. Mostly we choose Now because it was the most cost effective resort for the wedding (we did a wedding expenses comparison of Karisma brands both Azul & El Dorado, Dreams, Now, Breezes, & Sandals). Some of the other resorts would have been even more expensive than our Louisville wedding for the vision we had in mind. The value of the wedding packages combined with the group incentives at Now just cannot be beat! For cost conscious couples there is no better choice.

 

Travel: A-

We interviewed as many travel agents as we researched countries and resorts. We finally decided to go with Elaine Kuchma with the Travel Authority in Louisville, KY. Elaine booked our group reservation through American Express Vacations. Definitely use a local agent to book your travel and your group. They will help you stay organized and are easily reachable by guests should they have any issues.

 

We initially blocked 10 rooms in the preferred club. We later added additional rooms to our block. We got a rate of $636 for 3 nights in a preferred club tropical view room which included airport transfers and the agent’s commission. Ocean view was $836. (FYI-The block does not mean your rooms are right next door to each other, and trust me, it does not matter. No one has trouble finding each other. Especially if you put together a welcome book, and include a “Whose Who Among Wedding Guests” page and leave a space for guests to write in each other’s room numbers.) We sent out our agent’s info and info about the travel packages in our STDs in September. We set a booking deadline of January 1. Not everyone booked by then, but the majority of reservations were made by the end of April, however many of my guests kept changing their arrival and departure dates up until the trip (which drove me crazy when trying to plan activities for the weekend). Only one set of guests insisted on booking a different resort. Most guests were excited for the weekend long experience of sharing and togetherness that a destination wedding allows.

 

Olympus Tours: A

American Express Vacations (AEV) arranged our airport transfers with Olympus Tours. The company was professional and quick to transfer us to the resort upon our arrival in Mexico. Upon our arrival at Now Sapphire, the Olympus Tours rep, Mary, greeted our group. She explained that we should set up our return transfer with her and that she would be happy to assist with any excursions. Our travel agent highly recommended Olympus for excursions, so we had Mary set them up for us. There are many tour companies in the lobby at Now, but I recommend Olympus. They are a large and reputable company. Otherwise, I don’t think AEV would use them for airport transfers.

 

Excursions:

Thursday evening we met our guests who were interested in excursions in Mary’s office. She listened to the different interests and suggested 2 different trips.

 

• Selvatica: On Friday at 8:00 AM, 8 of us (our young friends plus my dad) left the resort for Selvatica where we did 12 zip lines above the jungle canopy at top speeds in pouring down rain. I am scared of heights, and I loved it. We saw other groups with kids and senior citizens enjoying the experience, so this is great for everyone. After the zip lines we went swimming in a fresh water cenote (lagoon) and were then served a traditional Mexican lunch. We returned to the resort around 1:00 PM (which I loved because it gave us time to get ready for the rehearsal at 5:00). Selvatica has been Tripadvisor’s number 1 rated activity in the Riviera Maya for several years and it will not disappoint. Our guests are still raving about it. Here is a link to my Tripadvisor review http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g150807-d657050-r134269100-Selvatica_Canopy_Expedition_and_Adventure_Tour-Cancun_Yucatan_Peninsula.html A++

 

• Tulum & Yal-Ku Snorkeling: On Sunday, Mary arranged a private trip for our group. We had 15 guests wanting to go to Tulum, but we didn’t want to go too early the morning after the wedding. Mary hired two multi-passenger vans to take our group to Tulum. We left at 10:30 am. When we got to Tulum, our drivers took us to meet our tour guide and we were given our private tour. (I didn’t care for Tulum. I have seen other ruins and it did not impress me. It is on the ocean, so it is neat in that way. My guests really wanted to see some ruins, so I did it for them. We picked Tulum because we could have a private tour and set the schedule to fit our needs and it didn’t take 10 hours like Chichen Itza.) After the tour we were all hot, thirsty, and hungry. Since the drivers were ours for the day, we asked if we could eat lunch at this restaurant outside of Tulum. We had a wonderfully authentic lunch and some beers. After lunch we divided our group into two groups: one to go snorkeling and one to return to the resort. We went with the snorkeling group. The driver took us to Yal-Ku (a lagoon attached to the ocean) to go snorkeling. There we had to pay an entrance fee and were able to rent snorkel equipment (which wasn’t really explained very well by either Mary or our driver). The snorkeling at Yal-Ku was just okay. It had been raining for a week, so most of the fish were hiding. We did Yal-ku again (accidently) several days later on our honeymoon with a tour guide and it was a completely different (and much better) experience. C

 

Now Sapphire Riviera Cancun Resort: A+++

The resort is beautiful! Truly one of the most exquisite places I have stayed. The lobby and restaurants are beautifully appointed. I love how there is water and fountains everywhere. Honestly, I don’t have any complaints about the hotel that are worth mentioning (except the tile floors are slick as snot when it rains). The rooms were modern and comfortable. The bathroom was spacious. The shower had a cascading head that was divine. We really enjoyed the ocean view and the Jacuzzi on the balcony.

 

We stayed in the Preferred Club and I don’t really see a need to do this. The preferred club gives you added amenities: you can reserve the Bali beds at the main pool and palapas at the beach, access to the adults only preferred pool, access to the air-conditioned lounge, an extra restaurant for breakfast, and free Wi-Fi. I didn’t spend a lot of time at the resort, but from what I saw the beach and pool are not crowded, so there is no need to reserve a chair. No one checks at the preferred pool to make sure you are supposed to be there. As long as you are a quiet, respectful adult no one will bother you. I prefer the party atmosphere of the main pool anyway. I ate the buffet for breakfast (sit in Hugo’s section, he is the best) everyday because the special preferred club restaurant is a la carte and I woke up too hungry to have to order and wait for my food. The lounge had nice cold air conditioning, but it was usually empty and boring (I like to be where the action is). The free Wi-Fi is nice, but I could have paid for it and still saved a ton by not booking the preferred club. I just don’t think the added amenities justify the price difference. I did not notice a class system between preferred guests and non-preferred guests like I have noticed at other resorts.

 

The beach has soft, powdery fine, white sand. It is beautiful and the water is green and blue. There is seaweed washed up on the beach, but the resort does a great job of cleaning it up several times a day. I stayed at a different resort (much more expensive) down the beach about 10 miles for my honeymoon and the seaweed was worse there and they made no attempt to clean it up. I was only there for 4 nights and it rained most of the time and I was busy with wedding stuff, so I didn’t get in the ocean or use the pools, but our guests enjoyed them.

 

We found the food to be very good. We consider ourselves foodies and have expensive taste in food, but we were not disappointed. I have been to several all-inclusive resorts and the food at Now is well above average. We had limited time at the resort, so we didn’t get to try all the restaurants. The buffet was wonderful for breakfast, very fresh. I really liked Bluewater grill for lunch. I enjoyed our meal at Fresco, it really lived up to its name (Fresco is Spanish for fresh). Our last night we ate with a large group at Paramour and it was outstanding.

 

The staff is the best part of Now Sapphire! They are kind and friendly. They addressed us as “My friend” or “Mi amigo” and it felt like we really were old friends. They are attentive and take great care of the guests. They are there to serve. I never heard the answer no for any of my requests. They were happy to help us with whatever it was we wanted or needed. Whatever you ask, the answer is always the same, “Yes, my pleasure”. The maintenance staff is fast and responsive. The first night there about 10:30 PM we wanted to use our Jacuzzi but it wouldn’t hold water. We called the front desk to report it and not five minutes later there were 2 maintenance men at our door covered in sweat (they had clearly run to our room) with their tools in tow. In a matter of minutes they had replaced the stopper on the Jacuzzi and were gone so we could get back to our night.

 

There was at least one wedding every single day we were there so the resort staff (coordinators, the spa, the wait staff—everyone) have this down pat. They are old pros! Our guests jokingly called it a wedding factory!

 

The resort location is great! It is a quick 20 minute drive from the airport, but far enough away from all the hustle and bustle of the overly touristy Cancun!

 

Pre-travel Communication: B-

This was the worst part of planning this wedding. Responses to emails would take several weeks at times. Now I realize it was because they are so busy with literally 1-2 weddings a day to actually make happen and as many brides emailing them. The best thing I can suggest is to use the people on this website to get answers to questions that you need to know immediately. Ramon and Anel will eventually get back to you, but have some patience. In the end, everything will be perfect and it will be all that you ever imagined. Try to keep that in mind when you are stressing over the little details. Whatever you want, they can and will make happen!

 

What we brought with us:

Let me begin by stating, that I brought ALL of my own decorations. I brought purple chair sashes, Mr. & Mrs. chair sashes, 26 green and purple Chinese paper lanterns with battery-operated LED lights, white paper luminaries with palm trees cut out and LED tea-lights, votive candles in customized holders with our names, wedding date and a palm tree all in purple,  champagne flutes, cake knife, cake topper, sand ceremony set, guest book, and probably other things I am forgetting. I brought place-cards which Ramon set out on a table in a very cute tray of sand so they wouldn't fly away. We also had little glass bottles of sand with our wedding logo at each place setting along with menu cards. All of my printed material (programs, escort cards, menu cards, table numbers) were coordinated which really pulled the look together. We had bubbles, kippot (yarmulkes), and program fans handed out at the ceremony. I also brought the welcome bags for my guests.

 

All together I had a box of decorations and a suitcase of welcome bags, favors and print material. We checked both of these on the plane and it only cost us $80 each direction. We looked into shipping it down with FedEx, but it would have been several hundred dollars to do that. We did get stopped by customs in the airport in Cancun. They were looking for a bribe, but I speak Spanish so they figured out quickly that that was not happening.

 

Timeline at the Resort (w/ comments on restaurants):

 

Thursday – We arrived around noon and checked in. Our rooms were not ready, but it wasn’t a big deal. The bell hops took care of our luggage and we went for lunch at the buffet. The buffet was fresh and tasty. I loved the chips and guacamole. After lunch we meet with Ramon the wedding coordinator. We had been assigned to Anel, but she wasn’t available to meet with us until Friday, so we switched to Ramon so we could do an excursion on Friday. It poured down rain all day Thursday, so the rest of the day we hung out in the lounge and lobby greeting our guests as they arrived and having some drinks. At 4:00 we meet with Mary and our guests to plan our excursions. We enjoyed dinner at Lemongrass at the teppanyaki table that evening. We had to wait nearly 2 hours for a table, but we just hung out in the lobby bar drinking while we waited and as long as the drinks were flowing we were happy. Dinner was a little disappointing. There wasn’t really a show at the teppanyaki table, but the food was good to the taste.

 

Friday – After a quick breakfast at the buffet (which was delicious with fresh fruit and juices) we went on our excursion to Selvatica. We returned to the resort about 1:00. It rained all day, so most of our guests spent that skipped the excursion spent the day at the bars or in their rooms resting. I went to my mom’s room to help with wedding stuff (she, my brother and his fiancée spent the day tying bows on my programs, filling my glass bottle favors with sand, etc.). Once we finished, I went to my MIL’s room to help her iron my chair bows. At 5:00 PM we met Ramon and the wedding party for the rehearsal. After the rehearsal, we had a meet and greet in the lobby bar with the guests. After the meet and greet, everyone went their separate ways for dinner. A large group of us went to Fresco. It was very good and the service was great. After dinner it was time for some partying in the lobby bar. Friday night is the happening night in the lobby with live music and people everywhere. Maybe this was only true because it was still raining, but we had a great time dancing and drinking with the whole resort that night. We stayed out until about 2:00 AM with our younger guests.

 

Saturday – The wedding day! I woke up at 6:00 AM because I was so excited and nervous. I ran out on my balcony to find that the week of rain had stopped and that out in the distance the sun was peeking through the clouds. We had breakfast with a large group in the buffet around 8:30. At 10:00 my mom and I took our box of wedding stuff to Ramon and went through it with him. I went back to my room to grab a shower. At 12:00 several of us went out the gate to meet the florist (more info later). At 1:00 I met the bridesmaids at the salon for my hair and makeup appointment. After the appointment we ordered room service for lunch and it took about 1.5 hours to be delivered. At 2:45 the photographer met the men in one of the groomsmen’s rooms for photos. The photographer came for the ladies around 4:15. We took photos until 5:00 and then retreated to the Preferred Club Lounge to cool off before the 5:30 ceremony. Ramon came for us and we were on our way. The ceremony was at 5:30, the cocktail hour at 6:30 and the reception at 7:30. At 10:30 we were stolen away for some more photos. Once we finished we planned to go party some more with our friends, but the resort was dead that night and everyone was exhausted from the long day and from the partying on Friday night so we called it a night. We returned to our room and were blown away by the turn down and decorations. It was beautiful.

 

Sunday – This was the Tulum and snorkeling excursion day. When we returned from Tulum, we joined a large group for dinner at Paramour. The food was wonderful and so was the service. It was the most gourmet meal we had at the resort. After dinner we took a walk on the beach and finished the evening with drinks and dancing in the lobby bar.

 

Monday – We had a group breakfast at the buffet again and said our goodbyes to many of our guests. We then went to the spa to enjoy our couples massage. After packing our room we checked out. Before leaving we enjoyed a great lunch at Bluewater Grill. The fish and chips were awesome. We took a walk on the beach to go stand in the spot we were married and reflect on the weekend. Finally we headed to the lobby to call for a taxi to head to our honeymoon resort. 

 

Wedding Package: A+

We selected the Divine package. My gripe about all the packages is that you cannot substitute things you don’t need or want for other things. For example, we didn’t need the photography because we brought our photographer with us. I would have selected the Eternity package if I could have substituted the photographer for the videographer, but since you can’t and I really wanted the video, purchasing the Eternity plus adding the videographer would have cost the same amount as the divine anyway, so we went ahead and did the divine which included the videographer. We didn’t need or want the photographer, but since we were paying for it either way, we made him work for us during the cocktail hour. The only real difference between the Eternity and the Divine is the ceremony musician, the videographer, 1 extra corsage and boutonniere, and the dinner on the beach. We didn’t even get to use the dinner on the beach because it rained every night we were there except the wedding night, but I did appreciate the musician and videographer.

 

Wedding Rehearsal: A

Ramon met the wedding party in the lobby bar at 5:00 PM on Friday. We walked over to tequila terrace together. Ramon showed everyone where everything would be and explained how it would be set up on the wedding day. It was still pouring rain so we actually ran through the ceremony (just going over the logistics and high points) standing just inside from the terrace. I took control of running the actual rehearsal. I am not sure if that is how it normally goes, but I am a teacher so I went on teacher mode and ran with it. It only took about 20-30 minutes and I am glad we did it. It helped reduce confusion on the wedding day (though there was still some, but that is because adults don’t listen very well).

 

 

Meet n’ Greet: A

We did not do a formal rehearsal dinner. We did do an informal cocktail meet and greet the evening before the wedding right after the rehearsal. We had guests meet in Moment’s Lobby Bar at 5:30 PM. We grabbed a few couches and ordered drinks from the bar. I also distributed my welcome bags to the guests whom I hadn’t seen yet. It was a great way for our guests to get to know one another before our wedding. We also got some great group photos during the meet up. We made this event optional, but most everyone came anyway. From here groups of guests broke off to go to dinner (the restaurants can only accommodate tables of 10). My group of about 14 went to Fresco. We just split into 2 tables.

 

I really like the idea of a meet n’ greet cocktail better than a rehearsal dinner. Most of my guests were only staying for 3-4 nights and there are so many great restaurants to try at Now. They were already losing one of their opportunities to try the restaurants on the wedding night, so I did not feel the need to mandate another joint dinner during their short stay. I almost decided to have a semi-private cocktail party for $10 USD per guest, which includes some roped off tables in the lobby bar, a separate waitress and some chips and salsa. I am so glad I kept it simple and did not do that. I think it would be a big waste of money since we all left for dinner by about 6:30 anyway.

 

 

Guest Welcome Bags: A++

We put together welcome bags for our guests in hibiscus flower totes from Oriental Trading. I loved the totes because they doubled as beach bags or excursion tote bags. Inside the bags was the “Wedding Weekend Survival Kit” with Band-Aids, Advil, Tums, Alka-Seltzer labeled “Hangover Cure”, tissues, Aloe, Sunscreen, Shout wipes, Q-tips, safety pins, Chap Stick labeled “Protect Your Kisser”, and hand sanitizer labeled “Spread Love Not Germs”. The welcome bags also had a mini bottle of Maker’s Mark with a tag that said “Celebrate with Kentucky Champagne”, a deck of flip-flop shaped playing cards, a flip-flop shaped notepad, an ink pen, a custom door hanger and our welcome book “Passport to Paradise”. The book was an actual 36 page published book that I made. It had our welcome letter, maps, restaurant listings, guest list, schedule of events, spa menu, resort activities schedule, conversion charts, Spanish travel phrases, Jewish wedding customs, Sudoku, crossword puzzles, and word searches, etc. Our guests loved their bags. I delivered them myself Thursday and Friday night at the meet up in the lounge before dinner.

 

 

 

 

  

 

Spa:A

We had our free couples massage and enjoyed it-- nothing special but free and relaxing! I also had my hair and makeup done here for our wedding day. In my opinion there is no reason to bring your own hair stylist or makeup artist with you nor need you schedule a trial run. These women are trained professionals who do bridal makeup and hair at least once a day. I brought pictures of what I wanted and explained my preferences and my stylist’s work exceeded my expectations. I really couldn’t have been happier with my look!

 

 

Ceremony/Cocktail Hour/Reception Location: A+

We booked the Tequila Beach for the ceremony and Tequila Terrace for cocktail hour and the reception. The background of our entire event—ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner, dancing—was the beach and ocean. There are slits between the boards on the Tequila Terrace that could be large enough for a heel to go into. I warned my guests before the trip and most ladies opted for flip flops or wedges. I’ve included some photos that illustrate exactly how everything was set up.

 

Some brides were concerned with privacy on the Tequila Terrace. It is surrounded by the Bluewater Grill (an outdoor restaurant), the main buffet, and Fresco. There were people eating at both the buffet, Fresco and Bluewater during our wedding. I hardly noticed. Other than that people were polite and respectful for the most part; many people congratulated me when I went inside to use the restroom (which is right inside the doors—you hardly have to walk through “public space” at all) but they didn’t intrude or interrupt our private event. Toward the end of the reception we actually invited some of the people eating at Bluewater to come over and dance (They had been watching us and clapping during our toasts etc. for some time.). Plus, half (the 50 years old and up crowd) of our guests had left by 9:00 PM and didn’t stay for the cake cutting, toasts or dancing, so the extra strangers made it seem not as empty.

 

                       Behind us you can see people eating at Bluewater.  Behind the tables you can see the windows for the restaurants.

  

 

Ceremony: A

We were married in the US by a judge before we went to Mexico. I recommend this. It is cheaper and easier. For our ceremony, we had two of our friends and wedding guests officiate. We wrote our own wedding script. We had several of our friends and family members read and take part in the ceremony. The only real issue was there was only 1 wireless microphone and not everyone held it up close enough to their mouth to be amplified. The aisle runner (in plain white), the chairs with white covers, and the bamboo canopy with white fabric are all included. We added the flower garland on top of the canopy for $150 USD. The flower petals on the aisle runner were free from our florist (more info later). Ramon tied the chair bows free of charge and used the extra chair bows to add color to the canopy. Our ceremony began at 5:30 PM.

 

 

   

 

Ceremony Music: A+

A musician (flute/violin/sax) is included in the Divine package for the ceremony for a 45 minute set. The use of the AV equipment is also included. We decided to use the ceremony musician for cocktail hour instead and use recorded music for the ceremony. We brought our own iPod with clearly labeled playlists. The resort staff operated the iPod per our instructions (Ramon asked for details about what to play and when during our meeting). There was a playlist for each part of the ceremony: Guest Arrival, Prelude, Processional, Bride’s Entrance, & Recessional.

 

Cocktail Hour: A+

Cocktail hour began at 6:30. I was busy taking pictures during cocktail hour, so I didn’t really get to experience it, but my guests seemed to enjoy it. The hors d’oeuvres were butler passed and we selected: calamari, spring rolls, roast beef rolls, and endive lettuce with bleu cheese. We included a signature drink, but the bar had everything you could ever want. The set up was beautiful. It was the one part that I had completely forgot to plan, but Ramon came through and surprised me with beautiful touches that perfectly matched the overall style of my event.

 

Notice the cocktail tables. They were all Ramon. This pic also illustrates my lanterns. This space later became the dance floor.

 

 

Cocktail Hour Music: A

We saved the package included 45 minute set by a musician for cocktail hour. Ramon allowed us to substitute the violin, flute or sax for a solo steel drummer because they were the same price in the wedding book. I love steel drum music, and he was very good. I wish I got to enjoy it more and not be so distracted with taking photos.

 

 

Dinner & the Rest of the Reception: A+

Dinner was served at 7:30 PM. For dinner we had beef carpaccio, cream of lobster soup, beef filet bordelaise or duck breast in hoisin sauce and pistachio panna cotta. Between courses various people gave toasts (i.e. our parents and us). Dinner was very good. We had 7 vegetarians and their food was very good too. Our wedding day was one of our guest’s birthdays, so just after dinner Ramon brought out an individual size birthday cake with candles and we all sang Happy Birthday.

 

The tables had long white table cloths, white napkins and chairs with white covers which is included in the package. Ramon tied on my purple chair bows free of charge and used the extras as table runners. I decorated each place setting with a menu card and the glass bottle with sand from the beach and our wedding logo. I also had beautiful centerpieces (discussed below) and table numbers. I had votive candles and holders. The holders were custom with our names and wedding date and a palm tree all in purple. You can't see these in the pictures, because they didn't get put out on the tables. I didn't even notice until half way through the reception and the tables were decorated enough that it didn't matter. I asked Ramon about them the next day, and he said he didn't put them out because of the wind (tropical depression Debbie was still trying to clear out).

 

I brought 26 green and purple Chinese paper lanterns with battery-operated LED and it was plenty to decorate the terrace above the dance floor (see above pic). I brought white paper luminaries with palm trees cut out and LED tea-lights. Ramon set these up around the perimeter of the terrace.

 

After dinner we started the traditional dances: the bride and groom’s first dance, father/daughter dance, mother son dance, and the traditional horah. Ramon brought some very sturdy chairs out for the horah and lent us some of the wait staff to hold us up in the chairs since our group was so small. After the dances most of the older guests and some of our immediate family started to leave. By 9:00, we had only about 20 people left, so we invited the resort guests that were at Bluewater Grill to come join in the party. Ramon brought out the cake and we did the traditional cutting, followed by the bouquet and garter toss. We danced the rest of the time until our time was up at 10:30. We were taken away to take more photos and some of our friends waited for us in the lobby bar. Once we finished, we met them and went to Eclipse (the nightclub). It was completely dead, a stark contrast from Friday night, so we danced to only a couple more songs then called it a night.

 

   

   

 

Reception Music/Resort DJ: C

We rented the sound system for the first hour of the reception while we were eating dinner. I had a playlist on the iPod labeled “Dinner Music.” Ramon did not charge us for the 1 hour rental of the sound system. We hired the resort DJ for the last 2 hours of the reception.

 

The DJ was there early and started playing during dinner, which would have been fine, but I wanted my playlist to play. He started playing a bunch of Christian easy listening music and we are Jewish. We had a choreographed dance, for which we provided him the song we wanted clearly labeled on our iPod. Rather than playing it, he played the song from his library, and it was a different version! My husband can’t dance to save his life and had spent weeks practicing with the slow version of the song. During the later portion of the night, he was playing only fast music and the old people felt left out and started to leave. The DJ is not an emcee at all. I had to ask him to turn off the music for the cake cutting. I had to take the microphone and announce the cake cutting, the bouquet toss, garter toss, etc. Since I had to do all the work anyway, I wish I had saved my $777 and just used the AV equipment and iPod.

 

Flowers: A++

My guests were raving about the flowers. I outsourced my centerpieces and bridesmaid bouquets to a local florist (as recommended by HeatherViolet). The florist is Floreria Lucy. The florist's name is Liz Rubi and her direct email is [email protected]. Liz was wonderful.  When I filled out the contact us form on their website, she emailed me back in less than 10 minutes. We communicated by email before I got to Mexico. I sent pictures of what I was looking for and she sent back her ideas and examples and we agreed on a price. She was willing to meet me at the resort when I got there just to go over the final details, but I thought that was unnecessary. The night before the wedding, she emailed my photos of my flowers.

 

The centerpieces were $30 USD and the bridesmaid's bouquets were $20 USD. The resort wanted $150 USD for the same centerpiece and $80 USD for the same bouquets. All together 4 centerpieces, 4 bouquets, the delivery fee, and the tip I gave because I was so happy, it cost $250 USD.

 

I saved a lot of money on flowers. The only flowers I got from the resort were what was included in the divine package (my bouquet, 3 boutonnieres, 2 corsages, 1 centerpiece-used it on the ceremony table and then moved it to the guest book table), flowers for the cake at $25 USD, and the flower garland for the top of the ceremony canopy at $150 USD. All the flowers from both the resort and the florist matched perfectly. I will say the flowers from the florist had bigger blooms and looked a bit fresher than the resort; they were also willing to do more customization, like filling the vases with fresh-cut limes. My guests are still raving about the centerpieces, including a florist of 30 years.

 

The resort charges a $300 fee for off-site vendors. To get around this fee I met the florist outside the gate of the resort. It was not a big deal. It is honestly 100 feet from the front door. I asked her to meet me at noon on the wedding day (wedding was at 5:30 and I didn't start getting ready until 1:00). She called my room when she was there and my husband, mom, dad, brother, sister-in-law and I walked out to the front to get the flowers and pay. We walked the flowers back to my room to keep them cool. When the groomsmen went down to the wedding, they carried the centerpieces down and placed them on the tables. This was NOT a big deal. It really wasn't any trouble and I was happy to do it to save a ton of money. You just have to ask yourself what is more important to you, not having to lift a finger on your wedding day or saving nearly $1000. We used the money elsewhere.

                                                                                        Bridesmaid’s Bouquets:                                                                Centerpieces:

 

 

              My Bouquet:

   

 

Wedding Cake: B

The cake was not on display during the reception, but instead was carried out to the dance floor when we were ready to cut it. I understand that it wasn’t on display because of the heat, but still I think more guests would have stayed had they seen the cake because they would have realized that we were going to do the traditional cake cutting. As it was, since our 4 course dinner ended with dessert, many people thought that that was it and that the reception was over.

 

When the cake was brought out for the cutting, it was beautiful. It was covered in flowers, ribbon (which I provided) and had my cake-topper on top. However, it was not the design I selected from the wedding book, but it really didn’t matter since it hadn’t been on display anyway. Once my hubby shoved the cake up my nose and into my sinus cavities, I completely lost any desire to eat any cake, so I didn’t eat it. The guests said it was very tasty. Of course, we had a ton left over because the majority of our guests were already gone, and the ones that remained were still stuffed from the 4 courses and the hors d’oeuvres. I have no idea what they did with the leftovers and I didn’t really care.

 

 

Photographer: A

We brought our own photographer, Stephen A. Harmon, with us because I wanted to have more control over the work and I was scared to use a Mexican company for fear that I would pay them and then never hear from them again once I returned to the US. My photographer took over 2400 photos during the weekend and was with us the whole time and documented every part of the weekend. Here is a link to the rest of our wedding photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/88975954@N07/sets/72157631888307917/

 

Resort Photographer: B

Our wedding package included 24 prints from the resort photographer. Since we were denied exchanging the photography in the package for something else all together we decided to have the resort photographer capture cocktail hour. Our photographer was going to miss cocktail hour anyway. To be honest, the photographs weren’t particularly polished. For example, there were pictures of other people taking pictures. http://erikaanddaniel.nowsapphire.adventurephotos.com.mx/#/s7-slideshow-2/

 

Videographer: B+

The videographer seemed competent and professional. He got what he needed, but otherwise stayed out of the way. He covered the ceremony and the post-ceremony photo session. To our surprise our video was delivered to our door by DHL the morning after we returned from out honeymoon (a short 9 days after the wedding). The video is pretty good. It did the job of capturing the emotion of the event, but it isn’t the quality of some of the stateside wedding videographers.

 

Wedding Coordinator: A++

Ramon was our wedding coordinator and he was fabulous. We met with him the day we arrived. We went step-by-step through each part of the planning form. I highly recommend including pictures of things that are important to you: bouquet, cake, etc. He asked about every detail and then walked us around the resort to show us where everything would be and what our options would be if it rained. (It rained every day we were there, except our wedding day!) I felt so much better after our meeting with Ramon and knew that he understood what we were looking for on our wedding day.

 

Ramon saved us a lot of money on our budget. I think he understood that we were on a very tight one, so he helped out where he could. Ramon is wonderful and thinks of everything. He thought of details that never crossed my mind. For example, he had his wait staff wear purple vests to match my event theme and color.

 

Ramon also impressed me with his knowledge of Jewish wedding customs. Most resorts would not even consider letting us have a Jewish wedding. Ramon not only considered it, he embraced it! I love Ramon!

 

 

Wedding Day Timeline:

This was the plan, but things didn’t really all go exactly like this.

10:00                     Deliver decorations to Ramon

 

12:00                     Meet florist to make payment & get flowers

 

1:00                        Bride to spa for hair and makeup / bridesmaids join

 

2:30                        Girls return to room for lunch & to get ready

 

2:45                        Photos of men getting ready & formals on the beach

 

3:45                        Groom & groomsmen back to room to cool off

                                Photos of finishing touches of ladies getting ready & formals on the beach

 

4:30                        Bride & bridesmaids back to room to cool off

 

5:00                        Groom & groomsmen to ceremony location

 

5:15                         Seating of guests & golf cart sent for bride & bridesmaids

 

5:30                        Ceremony

 

6:30                        Cocktail Hour

 

7:30                        Guests invited to be seated for dinner

                                Wedding party announced

                                Toast (bride's parents)

                                Dinner served (toasts between courses - groom’s parents’ toast between course 1 & 2, Bride & Groom toast between course 2 & 3)
 

8:30ish                  B&G First Dance, Father/Bride Dance, Mother/Groom Dance, Horah, Everyone Dance
 

9:30                       Champagne toasts & cake cutting & more dancing
 

10:00                     Bouquet & garter toss & more dancing
 

10:30                     Last dance

 

Wedding Website: A+

I used the knot.com to create my free wedding website. I used it to communicate info to my guests about the resort and making their travel reservations. I liked the easy to use features of the website manager. Check out our site at